The Adventure Continues
by sunokofairytale
Summary: Kagome has finally returned to the feudal era. What adventures are lined up next for the gang? A continuation of the manga/anime.
1. Returning

_**Author's Notes: This continuation of the manga/anime. It is my second attempted fanfic so I would appreciate a little constructive criticism. Other than that, I hope you like it. :)**_

"Inuyasha...were you waiting for me?"

Inuyasha pulled Kagome out of the well with look of pure adoration-meant only for her-on his face. Kagome found her voice. "Inuyasha...were you waiting all this time?"

He didn't say anything and just stared at the face thought he might never see again. _Of course_, he thought.

By this time, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango had caught up to Inuyasha, who had took off towards the well without telling them that he had smelled Kagome's scent, signaling her return to the feudal world.

"Kagome...?" questioned Shippo. He could not believe his eyes! Kagome was back! He jumped into Kagome's arms and promptly burst into tears. "We thought that you were never coming b-b-back, after Inuyasha returned all alone!"

Miroku and Sango looked at Inuyasha's face, full of joy. Miroku let out a gasp. He hadn't seen Inuyasha so truly happy since...well, since Kagome had gone back to her world and hadn't had a way back.

Then, Sango began to cry and pulled Kagome away from Inuyasha (he began to growl, but then stopped himself) and pulled her into a hug.

Kagome squeezed her back, allowing tears of happiness to flow down her face as well.

"How did you come back Kagome?" Miroku asked, once the two girls' sobs had subsided.

To his surprise, Kagome blushed a bright, vivid red.

"Well," she answered, "we, my mom and I...," her voice cracked with emotion and her eyes brimmed with tears again. Miroku opened his mouth to offer her some comfort, but Kagome nodded her head.

She looked straight at Inuyasha.

"I-I was thinking of how much I wanted to be with you," she cried out.

Inuyasha looked pained. He was hurt that the thought of him had caused her so much grief. He wanted to comfort her and stop her from hurting.

So he hugged her and let her cry into his shoulder.

Kagome breathed in his scent deeply, as if it were an addicting drug. She had missed this scent, the smell of Inuyasha, _so_ much.

**INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA**

At this point, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo looked away and, with a few backward glances (but not before Shippo had a fit about why did Inuyasha get to hog all of Kagome's attention) left them alone.

"Let's let them have some alone time," Miroku told Shippo gently, leading him away from the two with Sango by his side.

"Yes, Inuyasha has been so lonely this whole time," said Sango, while intertwining her hand with her husband's.

Shippo did not feel so forgiving. "He still felt the urge to pick on me," he complained all the way back to Kaede's. When they arrived at the hut, he went off to go play with the Sango and Miroku's eldest child.

"Well...Inuyasha will bring Kagome back to the village when they are finished talking," said Sango," and then she'll talk to you too, Shippo."

Miroku noticed that Sango looked different now. Almost as though Kagome had filled a gap in her life by coming back, he mused. He realized later that Kagome filled a gap for all of them.

"Oh, Sango...Kagome's really back!"

Sango smiled, but exclaimed sarcastically "Where have you been?"

Then she began laughing and Miroku laughed, too. It was such a great day.

A new thought occurred to Sango.

"Hey, Miroku, she doesn't even know we have children." She chuckled. "How do you think she will react?"

"Kagome has her own unique way of viewing matters...are you worried, my dear?"

"No ... of course not"

"Well, they should be back in a little while, so we will know soon."

**INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA**

-Meanwhile...-

When Inuyasha finally let Kagome go and looked around, he noticed that Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were gone.

_Well_, he thought, _that will make this slightly less awkward_.

"Kagome, I have to tell you something."

She noticed his voice had sounded somewhat nervous and looked into his eyes curiously. His golden eyes...the eyes of a hanyou. "What is it?"

"I-I...err...missed you. A lot." He could have slapped himself, he sounded uncharacteristically uneasy.

Kagome smiled. "I missed you, too."

They stood there for a while, holding on to each other by the well that had begun everything.

_It's enough_, Kagome thought to herself. She sighed contentedly and Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her more tightly.

Eventually her thoughts came to the ones she had left behind in the modern world.

Mama, Souta, Grandpa...she even missed Bayo. She shook her mind away from the depressing thoughts. Why should she be sad now? She told herself. _I'm with Inuyasha again. _

Inuyasha nudged her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I think it's time we should go back, Kagome."

She looked around. They blue sky was beginning to turn the orange pink color that comes with dawn and the end of another day. Night was beginning to settle in.

She glanced at the well one last time and then took Inuyasha's hand. It was time to go back into the village.

_**Author's Notes: Okay, well that is it for the first chapter. Next chapter should be up soon. :D**_


	2. Discussions

_**Author's Notes: Um...do not really have any...oh wait, I changed my pen name. That is about it.**_

"Sango, you, and Miroku have kids!" Kagome squealed, causing Inuyasha to cover his sensitive dog ears. Why did she have to yell it out so loud? He thought, halfheartedly.

"Yes," blushed Sango, "the eldests are Tsuno and Tsuna," she said, grabbing hold of both of the twin girls' arms. They tried desperately to fling theirselves out of their mother's grasp, but the demon slayer was just too strong. Despite the girls' embarrassed attempts to free themselves, she only grabbed the girls' arms more firmly.

"And the other one is named Shun." Sango snatched him up proudly to show Kagome, as well. Unlike his big sisters, the little boy stayed completely still. It made him happy that their mother wanted to show him off, and he loved to meet to new people.

"Awww...aren't they just adorable," cooed Kagome, scooping them all up into a hug. The three immediately decided that they liked this woman, even if she did wear such strange clothing.

After a couple of seconds, they squirmed out the embrace and ran over to Inuyasha.

"Wait...!" Inuyasha managed to get out before the little ones tackled him. They really couldn't budge him with their meager strength, but Inuyasha feigned a fall for their benefit anyways. Kagome giggled when the children began to tug on his ears, none too softly, and laughed even harder when Tsuna-or was it Tsuno? - began to scream "Uncle Doggy!"

"They aren't adorable," Inuyasha called to Kagome, as he pushed them off gently. His voice sounded annoyed, yet caring. Kagome was surprised. In the old days, she was certain that this was a situation where he would have yelled. Shippo seemed to be thinking along the same lines, muttering under his breath that Inuyasha would have hit him if Shippo had dared pull such an act.

Just then, a fairy old woman with a gray ponytail with an eye patch came out of a nearby hut and walked slowly up to the group.

"Kaede!" Kagome threw her arms around the elder priestess.

Kaede smiled. "I am glad to see ye have come back after so many."

"Yes, I'm glad to be back, too." She said, pulling away.

Inuyasha interrupted. "Feh! Enough with the emotional greetings," the hanyou said, trying to look cross and failing horribly. "I am going to get some water for the kids." He retreated away quickly.

Kagome watched his red-clad figure dart through the village and into the forest, towards the river.

"So, where am I going to stay?" Kagome asked.

Miroku scuttled his feet in the grass and Sango looked away. "Well, we would ask you to stay with us, but out hut is already kind of full...," explained Miroku." In fact, I think that is why Kohaku won't stay with us," Sango finished awkwardly.

Kagome gasped, momentarily off track. "I forgot about Kohaku!" She stared at Sango's suddenly cheery face. "How is he?"

"Oh, he's getting along just fine!" Sango exclaimed enthusiastically. "Toutosai even made him a new weapon!"

"He did?" Sango nodded cheerfully, her long hair swishing behind her. "Wow, that's great!"

Kaede coughed, effectively ending the girls' conversation. "Well, if ye have no place to stay, ye could stay with I..." she suggested.

Kagome smiled at her. "Yes, thank you so much Kaede!"

"The pleasure is mine, child," she peered curiously into Kagome eyes.

A shiver went down Kagome's spine, but for whatever reason, she did not know. She did not have a chance to contemplate the matter either, because Inuyasha choose this second to return.

"Okay, here is the water" he said, handing a bucket over to the children. They giggled and splashed Inuyasha. He groaned and shook like a dog, causing them to snigger madly.

"Well...err...I think I should go now...so, Kaede, can you show me where the river is, again?" She asked sheepishly, looking in the direction Inuyasha returned from a few moments ago.

Inuyasha rolled his golden eyes. _What is it with her_, he thought, _and her persistence to stay so clean?_

"Hang on, Kagome, I'll join you, said Sango, following Kagome and Kaede out of the village. Miroku made to follow them, no doubt hoping for a glimpse or two, but Inuyasha caught onto his shoulder.

"And where do you think you are going, monk?" He raised an eyebrow. He really should know better by now.

Miroku answered calmly. "I was going to see if they required any assistance finding the river. I had only good intentions, my friend."

He winced as Inuyasha pumbled him on the head. "Isn't this like the good old times, Miroku?"

Miroku's only answer to this particular question was a sigh.

**INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA**

_MEANWHILE..._

Sango and Kagome got to work trying to clean themselves in the ivy water of the river. "Sango?" asked Kagome.

"Yes, Kagome?"

"What has...umm...never mind."

Sango shot her an incredulous look. "What has what, Kagome?"

Kagome's face went red. "Well, I was wondering if you could tell me...what has Inuyasha been up to?" The last part came out rather fast in Kagome's embarrassed rush, causing Sango to laugh. Kagome's face went even redder.

"Well, he has been making a living off eradicating pesky demons with Miroku," Sango swiftly explained, giggling. But then her face became more serious. "You know, Kagome, we were worried about him for a long time."

"Worried? About Inuyasha? Kagome blurted. Her face turned from red to frightfully pale. "Why!" Her voice turned severe, face paler. "Was he hurt?" she asked frantically, thinking of all the horrendous things that he could have endured in her absence.

"First of all, calm down Kagome," said Sango, putting an arm around her friend reassuringly as they climbed out of the river. She noticed Kagome's eyes had begun to fill with tears.

Sango started to clarify. "The reason why we were all worried is because he was so lonely, so lost, so...unhappy without you around."

Kagome gasped. "He was?"

"Of course, Kagome!" Sango cried out. She assured her with a half-smile.

"You know, he went to the well every three days when he thought no one else was looking..."

"He did?" Kagome looked shocked, but touched.

"Of course," Sango repeated, smiling wide. "I think that he loves you very much."

Kagome eyes popped out and her heart began to thud almost painfully. "You think so," Kagome asked.

_You know he loves you, Kagome_, she thought to herself.

"I know, Kagome," said Sango.

Saying someone like Inuyasha loved her aloud still caused Kagome to gasp and her heart to beat so very fast. That reaction proved that she loved him, too.

Sango knew from the dreamy look on Kagome's face that the chat was over.

Then she saw someone watching them from a bush. "Miroku!" she screamed. He jumped up. "Err...Sango, let not be hasty...after all, such things don't matter now that we are wedded..."

Too late. Sango had already reached for her weapon of choice, a nearby stick.

_**Author's Notes: YAY! Chapter 2 is DONE! Well, any question, comments, or concerns, just click on that little "review" button over there, 'k?**_


	3. A Hidden Lie

_**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I wanted to start off with a special shout out to the following reviewers: XinuyashandItchigoFan, Xrainbowed-sunned-spirit, Xwindscarshikionjewlinukags, Xsangoscourage, and Xshesshomarumaiden. Thank you all so much! :) p.s.-there will be more sesshy soon!**_

Kagome woke up in the morning to the sound of birds' chirping. She yawned and stretched her arms, spotting Kaede across the hut. The old priestess was already up and about, standing around a large basin. The woman was boiling some water and cooking some sort of stew.

The younger girl took a cautious whiff. Whatever was in the bowl smelled mouth-watering. The scent of the food itself almost caused her to drool on herself. She suddenly realized that she was ravenous.

"Good morning, Lady Kaede," Kagome said.

The old woman merely smiled, chuckling at Kagome's expression. The girl's chocolate brown eyes were still fixed on the food quite pointedly. "I thought you might like something to eat," Kaede said, handing a small bowl full of the stew to Kagome.

Kagome took the bowl from the lady's grasp. "Thank you so much," she said, before digging in.

"It is so considerate of you to get up so early to fix something for me," she also managed to get out between hurried bites.

This set Lady Kaede off into a chuckling once more. This confused the young girl. What did she say to earn such laughter?

"What's so funny?" Kagome asked once she was done devouring her meal.

"Well, the fact that it isn't morning child, its well into the noon," she stated, eyes still bright with amusement.

"What? I overslept?" She asked rhetorically, not expecting an answer. "Kaede, I'll see you later!" Kagome called out, as she rushed out of the tent.

"Alright!" Kaede responded, waving her goodbye a little late. The young girl was already long gone. _Ahh, to be young_, she thought, shaking her head.

**INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA**

Kagome was barely out of the hut when Inuyasha, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, stopped her. He looked mildly tired, yawning and cracking his knuckles. Kagome was so surprised that she staggered mid-step and could only say "W-where did you come from, Inuyasha."

"Keh!" he responded. Then he pointed and clawed finger up.

She looked. All she saw were trees, trees, and more trees.

So she did the only thing she could think of in this astonished state of mind. She stated the obvious.

"Inuyasha, there are only trees up there," she said in a puzzled tone.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. His look on his face seemed to be stating "duh."

Then it all sunk in. Inuyasha had been sleeping in the canopy of the trees. "_Ohhh,_" was the only reasonable response she could think of at first.

"Did you really sleep in a tree?" she asked, a bit incredulous.

When he answered, he sounded rather affronted. "Yeah, Kagome. Never really, saw the point in getting a house. Besides, what's wrong with sleeping in a tree? I used to do it all the time when you were around, in the old days..."

"Oh," was, once again, her only reply. Then she became silent.

_Oh no_, Inuyasha thought, panicked, _I've said something wrong._

While Inuyasha worried over what he had said, Kagome felt a prick on her exposed neck, much like a mosquito had bitten her. She swatted at it and heard a groan of pain coming from the palm of her hand.

"It's good to see you, too, Lady Kagome," called the voice.

Together, Kagome and Inuyasha yelled "Myoga!" as the flea jumped onto Kagome's shoulder.

He cleared his throat and began to speak. "I heard that you were back and rushed immediately over to see you, Kagome."

Inuyasha gave a dark laugh, complete with a grimace. "More like _taste _you," he mumbled.

Myoga rubbed a hand behind his head, caught in the act. "Yes, err...I can honestly say that her blood is still as potent and delicious as it was three years ago."

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but Inuyasha cut her off.

"Don't tell me that you came back here after months just to speak to Kagome, Myoga." He said. "What is this really about?" he questioned.

Myoga flinched. The master did not sound happy.

Kagome noticed this, too. _He is so rude_! She thought. "Sit, boy!" she cried.

Inuyasha hit the ground with a yelp. "Kagome, you wench!" he screamed, with a mouthful of dirt, as he got up.

Kagome just glared at him.

Inuyasha gulped and turned to Myoga instead. "And you still haven't answered, Myoga. Why are you really here?"

"Truly, master Inuyasha," Myoga said, "I came here today to greet Kagome and congratulate her on her return." Myoga sighed internally. He always hated it when he had to lie to the boy. But now was not the time to reveal his true purpose here.

You see, the real reason why he was here was because of a nasty rumor floating around the some the nearby villages_. A very nasty rumor indeed_...

Inuyasha turned his back to Myoga. "Fine, if you aren't going to tell me, then don't expect me to beg you." Then his ears began to twitch. "Someone's coming," he told Kagome.

Sure enough, when they looked around, Miroku was headed their way, riding the transformed Kirara.

Myoga cried "Why hello, Miroku!" but he was ignored. Miroku ran straight up to Inuyasha and said, "There is a youkai attacking in a nearby village. If we make haste, we can make it back home before nightfall."

Inuyasha nodded, grinned, and then looked over at Kagome, who suddenly looked thoroughly downcast.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" he asked, his smile fading fast.

"Well, it's just that- I thought that- that we could spend some time together today?" she questioned, blushing and looking down at her feet.

Inuyasha went red, as well. "You know, you could come with us..." he raised his voice, making the statement a suggestion.

Kagome smiled and said "I'd love to, Inuyasha."

He grinned back. _I love it when she smiles_, he thought, temporarily dazed by Kagome's joy.

"Well, are you coming," he called out to her.

Together, everyone headed towards the village, following Miroku.

In their excitement, the group had all but forgotten about Myoga, still perched on Kagome's shoulder. And the little flea looked more worried than ever.


	4. Sudden Transformation

_**Author's Notes: Okay, I am finally updating! I'm so sorry it came so late, but I was at camp, with no internet access. Sorry again T_T. Hope you all like the new chapter. **_

About an hour or so later, Miroku, Inuyasha, Kagome, Myoga, and Kilala had successfully made it to the village. It seemed to be a dingy place, filled with poverty and old, worn-looking buildings. They looked very flimsy, as if it would take almost no pressure to knock one of the structures down. It also appeared to be deserted.

_Good_, Inuyasha thought, _now we won't have to worry about stinking villagers getting in our way._

Miroku sighed, seeing the town. "Guess we won't make much of a profit here," he muttered, scanning the place, looking for a sign of the supposed demon that was the reason they had traveled to the community in the first place.

Inuyasha's eyes found Miroku's. "So what are we supposed to be looking for anyways, Miroku?" he asked.

Miroku shrugged. He had not had the time to listen to the full account of what was happening from the man he was told the story from. He looked around, scanning the village. He saw nothing that would cause particular worry, accept the fact that the village could possibly blow over from a sudden gust of wind at any second, due the poor infrastructure...

Then the monk's eyes caught onto something, something very large, menacing, and... headed straight towards them with at an incredible speed!

The creature was a kind of serpent. It had stiff, shiny scales, embroidering its lengthy, spindly body. It also had a set of very illuminated, almost florescent red eyes that shone the way a cat's did in the nighttime.

Kagome sucked in a shocked breathe as Inuyasha ran out of the beast's path just in the nick of time.

The youkai, which had shot past Inuyasha when it had missed its mark, turned back around and struck at Miroku, who maneuvered impressively to Inuyasha's side, narrowly avoided a bite to the side.

Kagome squealed at the snake reared up again, this time directing its long fangs towards her.

Inuyasha jumped in front of the girl and pulled out his sword, the tens'saiga. He had had enough of this game of cat-and-mouse! How dare this thing try to attack Kagome!

"Wind Scar!" he screamed, making a cutting motion with his hand, Myoga holding on to his shoulder for dear life. With that, the beast was utterly decimated, dissolving into glittery dust, leaving not much behind but a horrid smell of burning serpent.

Inuyasha looked around, and, seeing that there was no more threat, sighed. "Miroku, that wasn't very hard at all," he griped, "Why can't we ever battle more exciting demo-"

Inuyasha cut his sentence off, a sudden burn scalding the fingers and palm of his right hand, and dropped the tens'saiga to the ground. He stared at his hand, not understanding. And was it just him, or did his nails look longer? His eyes widened as he felt his fanged teeth rub against his bottom lip. Kagome, Miroku, and Myoga stared at Inuyasha, puzzled and concerned. What had just happened?

Kagome approached Inuyasha, who was immobile, still staring and blinking at his hand. "What's wrong Inuyasha?" she asked, perplexed. She gasped when she saw his hand. It was truly burnt, with angry welts beginning to form on the crevices of his palm.

"Kagome," Inuyasha spoke in a low voice, "I think that the tens'saiga just rejected me-gah!"

At the end of his sentence, Inuyasha had collapsed, writhing in pain.

_Was he becoming a full demon_? He thought, clutching at the grass. No, no, he had never felt this degree of hurt, and the tens'saiga had never rejected him before. Maybe Sesshomaru, but never him...

Suddenly the pain built up even more. He was barely aware of Miroku Kagome clutching him and Miroku screaming "Inuyasha!" or even Myoga's lowly cries of "master!" in his ears. With a final budge of strength, he pushed them all away. He felt something coming...something that was causing his body to tremble...

But he did notice one thing. In fact, it was the only thing he would remember later.

Out of the very corner of his golden eyes, he saw a shadowy figure. Just looking at it was causing a huge, violent rush of youkai power to flow through his veins. It was gray, almost see-through, and it was definitely a person...or was it. Whatever it was, it had trailing black hair and bore the mark of a spi-spider...

_Naraku!_ was his last thought before he transformed.

All Kagome, Miroku, Myoga, and Kilala could do was stare as Inuyasha disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Then finally re-appeared, towering over their heads as a colossal dog-demon.*

INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA

Several miles away, Sesshomaru turned his head, sniffing at a sudden breeze. It smelled very much like a fully transformed inu-youkai...but that was impossible.

_Well I will just have to find out for myself_, he thought, as he began to run in the direction of the scent.

It wouldn't take him very long to reach the source. After all, he was Lord Sesshomaru, the mighty fully blooded inu youkai. _Unlike the Inuyasha scum..._he winced as his thoughts turned down that very unpleasant track of his family' history, otherwise unblemished.

_**Author's Notes: *Okay, when you think about the 'transformation' think of Sesshomaru's transformation into his true form when he and Inuyasha were battling it out in their father's grave during the first couple of chapters/episodes. I also tried to add in some sesshy in there, but his role really won't come into play until the next chappie (sorry, sesshy maiden). Well, you know the drill, any feedback or tips, just go to that little thing called "review" ;).**_


	5. Resemblance

_**Author's Notes: Okay, this is the fifth chapter...had to do some serious re-work, but I think I like this twist better than my original piece...hope you enjoy :) **_

Kagome and Miroku gave a shaken gasp, almost choking on the air. They could do nothing but stare at the creature-no, Inuyasha- that stood before them. Kilala jumped back a bit, growling and hissing towards the dog demon, but then stopping, realizing that it was only Inuyasha by the creature's scent.

Myoga sighed in utter despair, which quickly became a kind of frenzied panic. _This proves it,_ the flea thought, _the rumors, the spell, it's all true... _

Kagome tried to move, but couldn't._ This...is...Inuyasha_? She thought, incomprehensively. She was paralyzed with fear, dazed with it, even. Or at least she was, until the dog in front of her hit the ground harshly, causing debris to scatter everywhere. Inuyasha began to twitch madly and let out a howl.

They all fought the urge to cover their ears. The sound was unearthly, filled with unbearable agony. Kagome shrieked, the noise snapping her out of her dazed reverie. She began to sob...she couldn't bear the thought of Inuyasha being in pain.

She began to go to him, ready to help, to do _something_, but Myoga pulled on her hair and screamed in the young girl's ears, stopped her.

"Kagome, Kagome, we have company!" he called out to her, trying to get her to turn around.

Reluctantly, she tore her gaze from Inuyasha, and spun in the opposite direction, tears flying off her face and landing scattered in the dirt at her feet. The drops left wet imprints in the dirt where they fell.

Kagome sucked in another dismayed breathe. There, before her, stood Sesshomaru, his long, white, straight hair, so much like the boy's she loved, cascading behind him as he approached the hectic scene.

INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA

Just as Sesshomaru had thought, it did not take him long to reach the place he was looking for. The smell of the transformed one was strong and was fairly easy to follow, with the help of the occasional breeze.

Before arriving, though, Sesshomaru had noticed something that had caused him to feel a bit uneasy- he had sensed a very dark presence and his youkai power skyrocketed, making him almost dizzy. Also, just faintly, he could smell the strangest scent in the wind, one that he couldn't identify, but was sure that he had smelled before...

Dismissing the bizarre odor, he took in the sight upon reaching his destination.

There was that miko, the one that had been gone for so long. He recalled her spiritual power to be very great, but nothing particularly special he could not handle. On her shoulder, there was Myoga, the flea that had served so privileged under his father all those years. The monk, who had once carried the wind tunnel, was also present. Beside them, stood the mangy demon cat.

Behind that entire pathetic group, there was the one that had captured his interest- he was lying in the grass... and he smelled like..._Inuyasha._

_ No! No! It's not possible!_ Sesshomaru screamed internally, incredulous. This hanyou scum, the disgrace of his family, bearing a complete transformation?

Sesshomaru beared his claws, dripping with poison, preparing for a kill. The half-breed was, beyond doubt, an abomination! It was obvious he must die.

He was about to charge when the raven-haired girl and the man jumped in front of him, blocking his path.

How dare these pathetic human think they could stop this Sesshomaru! How could the thought even occur in their puny minds! "Move aside or forfeit you lives along with the scum's..." he called out, his voice unbetraying of any emotion, whatsoever.

INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA

The dog demon cried out in pain again, causing Kagome to jump. She had to go help, she had to do something, but she couldn't allow Sesshomaru to hurt him, either!

She glared up at Sesshomaru, who, of course, stood expressionless, and flexed his fingers.

Then, Kagome glanced across to Miroku, who nodded, and jerked his chin towards Inuyasha's dog-form, still lying on the ground, apparently oblivious to what was happening around him. "Go help him, Kagome! I'll hold Sesshomaru off!"

Kagome nodded and ran back over to Inuyasha. There had to be a way to return him back to normal!

INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA

Sesshomaru could have laughed, but he hardly ever laughed.

So the monk thought he could placate him, the Lord Sesshomaru, with not even a weapon to defend himself with? Ha!

The human man opened his mouth, surely in some foolish way to stall for time. "I will not let you harm Inuyasha, Sesshomaru! He has done nothing against you!"

Then you will perish in vain, Sesshomaru thought as he swung his hand, intent on running it through the hopeless mortal.

He would have succeeded, too, if his eyes had not met the monk's.

The human's eyes were filled with a mixture of passion and defiance- the same emotion that had been in Rin's eyes when he had left the little girl with that old crone, Kaede, in the village.

For moments, all Sesshomaru could do was peer into the eyes of the monk, hand still poised for attack.

Finally, Sesshomaru carefully lowered his arm. The human seemed suprised, but relieved as Sesshomaru spun around and departed, bitter from his weakness.

However, Sesshomaru did take some comfort from his next thought. It wasn't as if that hanyou could endure long in that form. Inuyasha would soon be dead, he was sure of it, regardless of any action he could have taken against him.

_**Author's Notes: Okay that's it for this chapter...Don't you just love slight cliffhangers? XD Anyways, I wanted to thank reviewers: XIchigoandinuyashafan, Xnakashimaayuma (p.s.-your English sounds pretty good to me:)), XSesshomarumaiden, XRainbowsunnedspirit, and Xsangoscourage! I really appreciate the comments! (hope I didn't miss anyone-sorry) The next chappie should be up soon!**_


	6. Burning

_**Author's Notes: Yes, this chapter is a bit sad. It made me cry... but keep in mind that *cough cough* the story would not be any fun at all without our favorite hanyou...*implying, cough, wink, cough* Oh, and I'm very sorry I have not updated in a while...vacation XD **_

_What is this pain? It's unbearable!_ Inuyasha screamed in his mind. He had never felt this kind of pain before-he let out a moan of despair. It came out as a howl.

A _howl?_

_ I-I have transformed?_ Inuyasha thought disbelievingly. It wasn't possible for a hanyou to transform...was it?

Another pang of hurt hit Inuyasha, causing him to let out a suppressed whimper...

He had never heard of a hanyou transforming...so he was a freak among the freaks...

Shaking as the pain coursed through his body, he looked down...far down.

There, he saw Kagome crying, Miroku, appearing fearful, and... Sesshomaru? His half-brother was standing in a familiar position, his hand twitching. With a burst of panic, Inuyasha realized he was about to attack!

Barely noting that the girl was running towards him and that it was Miroku that was in danger, Inuyasha screamed mentally '_Kagome, watch out!_'

Inuyasha attempted to move towards the girl and the monk, to protect them from his half brother, but as soon as he moved a leg forward Inuyasha lost himself in the pain that now consumed his enter being. It was as if his soul was alight with fire.

Gradually, the fire diminished, leaving Inuyasha alone in the darkness.

INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA

Kagome ran over to Inuyasha, who was still collapsed on the ground upon approaching the dog, she noticed that his eyes were clenched tightly shut and that he was shaking uncontrollably. Sluggishly, the shaking was beginning to stop...was this a bad sign or a good sign?

Myoga, who was clinging to a stray piece of Kagome's hair, took in the sight and started to scream, "Noo! Master Inuyasha, hold on!"

Does he mean that Inuyasha is-is..."NO!" She yelled the last part, hysterical and trembling, choking on sobs, and grabbed hold of some of the fur on Inuyasha's chest, sinking to her knees.

Myoga, meanwhile, trying to keep a level head, hopped onto Kagome's shoulder one more and said in her ear, "Kagome, you must listen to me!" urgently, barely managing to be heard over the girl's crying.

Kagome wiped her eyes with the back of one her hands, breathing heavily.

In a matter of seconds, she cupped the hand, allowed Myoga to jump onto her fingers, bringing him to her face without delay.

"I know a way that might save him," called the flea.

Kagome nodded, a new kind of confident appearing n her face. She was determined to save Inuyasha. She would do anything.

"Tell me!" she pleaded.

Myoga nodded back, "You must use your spiritual powers to purify the excess youkai within him-I believe it will calm Inuyasha down enough for him to revert back to his former self..." he trailed off, shuddering to think of what would happened if this plan failed.

"Will it save him," she asked, desperate.

Sadness overcame Myoga's eyes. "I hope so."

Kagome nodded, fierce determination reveling itself in her eyes yet again. Even though she had used her powers only once before, the very first time she had come to the feudal era, without her bow and arrows, she had to _try__. Inuyasha has saved my life so many times and I __will__ save his._

Miroku appeared at Kagome's side, seemingly un-injured. However, Kagome didn't spend a second thinking about what this meant. All her attention was focused on the white-fur covered dog in front of her.

Kagome placed her hands on the center of Inuyasha's chest, near where his heart should be. It felt silky and smooth, the same texture of his long hair. She tried to concentrate the power in her hands, imagining the energy flowing from her palms into his body. At first, when there was no effect, she grabbed on to the dog's fur tighter, burrowing herself in it, and tried again.

Then, as minutes went by, slow, agonizing minutes, the fur became hair and two front legs became arms. Kagome looked up.

Inuyasha, the hanyou, not the dog, stared back at her.

"Yes! Inuyasha, I'm so happy you're oka-" she squealed, but then stop when she noticed that Inuyasha wasn't smiling with her, wasn't holding her as well, wasn't telling her that everything _was_ okay.

In fact, Inuyasha's face held no expression at all.

"Inuy-?" she began to question, letting go of him.

He fell to the ground.

Kagome let out a moan, sinking to her knees beside him. _No. No. No. No. No._

Beside her, Miroku only stared as tears flooded his face and Myoga wailed, "I promised his father that I would protect him from this fate b-but I failed!"

Meanwhile, Kagome frantically checked Inuyasha for a pulse. There was none.

_**Author's Notes: BEEP- you have reached the end of the chapter. To cry (like I did) buy yourself a box of tissues, to review, press that button down there. **_


	7. Magical Kiss

_**Author's Notes: Hey everyone and welcome to the new chapter of TAC! Thank you for the all the lovely reviews, and Sailor-Saturn Star, thank you for pointing out the dividers problem. Of course, in all the newer chapters, the INUYASHA will be bolded. (Incidentally, the dividers are bolding in AF, but I guess I just didn't notice on here XD)**_

Kagome heard the flea, but she was not about to give up.

_Did Inuyasha give up on us, when we needed him? No! I won't quit on him, either!_

_Think, Kagome, think!_ She told herself. Inuyasha wasn't breathing...what were you supposed to do when someone wasn't breathing...? She thought as her limited medical knowledge that she had learned from her own time began to kick in.

Kagome's mind answered her back almost instantaneously, quick thinking as she was. CPR! Kagome could have face-palmed...but that was the only solution she could think of in her panicked state. Surely it would work, would it?

Well, it was worth a shot and she had to _try_. For Inuyasha.

Swiftly, Kagome tilted Inuyasha's head back and took a deep breath, as she had learned in school.

She ignored Miroku's and Myoga's gasp, ignored the bulge to their eyes, which she barely noticed from her position, when she pressed her lips to his, only hesitating for a second, forcing Inuyasha to breathe. Time seemed to have stopped.

Finally, Kagome pulled back. Inuyasha still looked as pale and still as before, although he was acquiring a strange purple tinge to his skin.

She repeated her actions, refusing to believe that Inuyasha could be d-dead.

_'No effect'_ was all that registered in her mind. "_Again_," she thought, re-doing the process. This time, when she pulled back, she pounded on Inuyasha's chest.

_No. Effect._ _**Again.**_

_NO. EFFECT._ _**Perhaps one more time...**_

Inuyasha gave a gasp, his chest beginning to rise and fall in a steady motion, indicating that he was breathing again.

Kagome smiled in relief as she felt a faint pulse in his neck, getting stronger with every beat of his now working heart.

Her smile became even bigger when she noticed Miroku's gleefully impressed, if not a little stunned, expression and saw Myoga's cheerful jumps of joy upon the monk's head. "You did it, Kagome, you saved the master's life! Oh, I never doubted you for a second!" the flea called out.

Miroku gave Kagome a look that caused her to redden.

"What?" she said, wondering why the monk was staring at her like that, in wonder and in awe.

"Kagome...you saved Inuyasha with a magic kiss!" he called out, looking even more awed. Vaguely, he wondered if Sango could perform such an act...he would have to find out when he saw her again...

"What?" she screamed again at Miroku, this time mortifyingly embarrassed. Of course, she should have known Miroku would see this event that way, because he certainly would never have heard of "Cardiopulmonary resuscitation" before.

"Miroku, in my time, that is a very standard and appropriate medical practice!" she all but choked out at him, trying to sound affronted.

Ignoring her, Miroku crouched won to examine the now steadily breathing hanyou, whose head was lying in Kagome's lap, shrugged, and said, "He's still unconscious..." His voice was colored with worry for his best friend.

"He'll be a while," explained Myoga,"Most hanyou do not survive transforming into a pure youkai form...it puts too much stress on the human side, it's very painful."

The flea looked down on Inuyasha's peacefully sleeping face. "He's extremely lucky."

Kagome held Inuyasha up to her, buried her head in his chest, and let a few more tears fall. Miroku and Myoga looked away, pointedly giving her some space.

"Inuyasha, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm so glad your okay," she whispered in his chest, near where she imagined his heart should be. Minutes passed and she just continued to lean into him, enjoying the sensation of rising and falling that his breathing created.

Miroku coughed, looking back towards Kagome and Inuyasha, still on the ground, and said, "If we plan on having Kaede look at him, we must be going, she'll be back soon, she told me she was only going to fetch Rin from another village before we left..."

Kagome nodded. "Of course." She said, trying to pull Inuyasha up.

After a few minutes of effort in vain, she sighed, calling to Miroku. "Can you help me pull him onto Kilala's back?"

Together, Miroku and Kagome heaved Inuyasha onto the cat, Myoga jumped onto Kilala as well, and as Kagome and Miroku hopped on, Kilala rose into the air.

"Hurry, Kilala," Kagome practically begged her, causing the cat to quicken her pace. They headed off towards the village.

_**Author's Notes: Well, that is it for chapter seven...sorry it was such a short one. I promise the next chappie will be much longer! And it's going to have some more Sesshomaru, too, just because he reminds me of another anime character I'm rather fond of, Seto Kaiba. Anyways, that review tab down there is just begging you to press it... :D**_


	8. Bittersweet Meeting

_**Author's Notes: Rin and Sesshomaru alert! :) **_

As far as Sesshomaru was concerned, Inuyasha was as good as dead. No hanyou could ever survive such a harsh transformation. It was a strenuous act to perform even for him, a full youkai.

Yet...the situation puzzled him. He could not recall ever hearing of a hanyou transformation. Until this day, he had not thought such an occurrence possible.

He felt a strong desire to know more about this. Perhaps something bigger than Inuyasha's youkai blood and survival instincts caused the transformation to take place...if so, the cause would have to be eliminated, and preferably by his own hand.

However...who could he question about this circumstance?

...It would have to be someone old, wise, willing to give the information or else vulnerable enough to be easily persuaded. After all, he did not want to spend too much of his precious time investigating the matter.

Sesshomaru's mind raced, considering the possible options...

Ah, yes; he would question the tree, Bokuseno*, the same tree he had gathered information from when Inuyasha's original transformation took place from hanyou to crazily driven youkai all those years ago.

And so Lord Sesshomaru began to journey in the wise tree's direction.

What he had not expected was, halfway there, to notice the most wonderful aroma- Rin's scent. That sweet smell...

...Wait! Rin was supposed to be at Kaede's village, not way out here!

Without even thinking about it, Sesshomaru turned heel, now heading towards the girl's scent.

Within minutes, he came upon a crowded village. Near its gates, he spotted the girl singing a joyful, carefree tune and picking flowers, a wide smile gracing her face. The swirling sound of the wind seemed to be harmonizing with her melody.

Rin had grown over the years he had known her, her looks now bordering on that of a woman's, rather than a child's. This face was something that Sesshomaru had kept in mind when getting her clothing, which he occasionally brought to her at the village.

Sesshomaru marched up to her, face expressionless, ignoring the surrounding villagers, who were staring at him suspiciously and whispering amongst themselves.

Rin gave a cry of delight and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. "Lord Sesshomaru, you're here!"

Sesshomaru looked away from her, disentangling himself swiftly. "Why aren't you in the village with Kaede?" he asked, trying not to sound angry. That old woman had promised she would take of Rin and teach her the human ways of village life, as long as he provided for her. He had held up his part of the bargain, so why wasn't she keeping her word?

Rin giggled, covering her mouth with her hands, as if he could not see her grin. "I was placed her for a week to assist a widow with her children...Kaede is going to come get me today, though," she added hastily, seeing through Sesshomaru's calm facade. "So don't worry, okay?"

"I was not worried...just concerned," he responded calmly.

"Awww...that's so sweet of you," she remarked, playfully shoving Sesshomaru's chest. If she had been anyone else, Sesshomaru would have not have tolerated such behavior.

Sesshomaru's face flickered with a smile for the merest moment before reverting into the stoic expression he usually wore.

But Rin noticed the brief change and gasped dramatically.

"Could it be?" she murmured, her glint in her eyes becoming devious.

"What?" Sesshomaru called, backing away as Rin stalked up to him.

"The mighty Lord Sesshomaru...ticklish?"

With that, Rin pounced, attempting to tickle him, but ended up knocking Sesshomaru (who had thought it better not to act; he might have hurt fragile body unintentionally in the process) and herself to the ground.

Blushing furiously, she allowed Sesshomaru to help her up.

The villagers, who had been watching the exchange with hawk like eyes, tittered and made disgusted noises, reminding Sesshomaru horribly of why he had left her in Kaede's care in the first place. The other humans would frown upon Rin if she had remained by his side.

As much as Sesshomaru told himself that he did not care for the girl, he did not want her to be an outcast, a social pariah, among her own kind.

And so he had left her...and he would leave again. And again. And another time after that. Whatever it took to maintain the smile on Rin's face, though he would never admit it to anyone, especially not Rin herself.

"I have to go," he told her, tone cold, as he turned around to leave.

Besides, he couldn't afford distractions now; he had to find the tree. He turned all his thoughts to the Inuyasha predicament.

Sesshomaru did not even notice the tears that fell from Rin's face as she watched his figure disappear into the distance.

"Don't leave," she whispered a little too late, as he vanished into the horizon.

One of the village girls, the same one who had been claiming that she had seen a ghost the other day, approached the weeping Rin and put a comforting hand on her shaking shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Rin," the girl said cheerily, "and, anyways, Kaede's just arrived."

_**Author's Notes: So... this chapter was only like a hundred words longer than the last one, but I wanted this chapter just to be dedicated to SessXRin because the next chapter will be a bit more complicated...and I'll be posting it tomorrow! :D Feel free to leave a review!**_

**_*Bokuseno is the wise tree that some might remember from episode 52: Demon's True Nature. I thought it would be neat to have him make an appearance again._**


	9. Forbidden Spell 1

_**Author's Notes: Duh duh dun! Villian entrance ensues!**_

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha's sleeping face, on the floor of Kaede's hut, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. It a day since Kirara had made it back to the village. A day since the cat landed in front of Kaede's hut and Kaede herself, a sad-looking Rin beside her, but Kagome's had been too preoccupied to greet the other girl. Sango, Shippo, and the children were also nearby.

Only twenty-four hours ago, she had still thought she would never have to deal with the likes of Naraku again...

How naive of her...

_*flashback*_

Sango was the first to see that something was not right when she spotted Kirara soaring in the skies, approaching the village. "Kaede, look!" she called, grasping the priestess' arm for support. "Inuyasha's not moving!"

Kaede looked up, peering onto Kilala's back. Her eyesight was not as good as it once was, but she could see a red-clad boy in the lap of a young, raven-haired girl. The boy certainly did not stir.

"Aye, there must have been some trouble while dealing with the youkai." _Still, I hope this does not have anything to do with those rumors about spirits that Rin had told me that she had heard at the widow's village... _

When they landed, the children, also seeing that there was something wrong with Inuyasha, began to cry, "No, Uncle Doggy is d-dead!" They began to sob, stomping up and down, as though if they pounded hard enough, it would fix him.

"No, no, surely not, young ones, Inuyasha is strong," Kaede comforted them, "He's just...hurt."

Her voice became stricter. "Now, run along so I can care for him! Go on!"

The children obediently shuffled away, crying softly all the while.

Kaede turned to Kagome and Miroku. "I am right...he's surely has not passed, has he?" Kaede asked, her eyes beginning to water. She had grown quite fond of the hanyou, even though she would never really show it. She definitely did not want him deceased.

Kagome swung her head back and forth, an unspoken 'no.' "But he's barely breathing," she cried, hoarsely, in a voice a tad louder than a whisper.

"Then, we must hurry, get him in the hut!" Kaede commanded, mumbling a list of different herbs under her breathe she could use to heal him.

Miroku grabbed Inuyasha around the legs and slung him over his shoulder, entering the hut right behind Kaede.

Kagome tried to follow but it was if there were spikes in her legs. When she tried to swing the limbs off Kilala's back, they throbbed, and she buckled on the ground.

"Sango, can you help me?" Kagome called out to her shell-shocked friend.

Sango rushed forward to assist her. "What happened?" she almost yelled. She didn't like the fact that her husband and her friends had been in a terrible situation and she hadn't been there to help. Surely if she had come along, they could have overcome whatever had happened...right?

With her husband and Inuyasha's trade, there would always be some danger, a constant risk involved in their kind of work, but neither of them had ever come back like this before. She wanted an explanation _now_- how had this happened?

However, Kagome shook her head. "I'll tell you in the hut...I don't want to tell the story twice."

As they entered the hurt, Kaede threw something to Kagome, something metallic and shiny. Kagome held it up to get a closer look.

Kagome gasped. It was the heart-shaped necklace Kagome had given Inuyasha years before!

"That was falling out of one of his pockets," Kaede said.

Kagome's eyes laced with tears, touched. _He's kept that all this time_, she thought.

However, Kaede did not note Kagome's moment, much less respect it. "So, child, tell us what's happened," she demanded, while trying to force a red, chalky powder down the hanyou's throat.

Kagome took a deep breath. She had to tell Sango and Kaede what had occurred, even if she didn't feel like repeating the tale. She owed it to them. "Well, we arrived at the town and this snake attacked and then..."

When Kagome was finished telling the story, Miroku hesitated for a moment before speaking. His tone was low and serious. "Kagome, did you see...Naraku? At the village?"

Kagome gasped. "No! Why would ask that, Miroku?"

Miroku hesitated once more before blurting out, "While you were busy with Inuyasha, I saw a shadowy figure, like a ghost, kind of...and it looked exactly like Naraku! But, when I looked back, it was gone!"

Rin, who had been wiping Inuyasha's face, gasped. "The ghost stories that the people were telling in the other village, claiming that they saw a spirit! That would fit in with those!"

The same time as Rin's outburst, Kaede stated, eyes wide, "The rumors! They were true!"

Kagome shook her head, not wanting to believe. "We destroyed Naraku. Besides, if he was back, your wind tunnel would return..."

Miroku brought up his hand, solid as ever.

"Well, maybe...or maybe not, Kagome," Myoga, who had been sitting on the floor, legs and arms crossed, spoke up at last.

"Sometimes, souls don't depart this world like they should, sometimes they...linger."

Sango caught on, nodding her head. "That would mean that Naraku isn't truly alive, that's why the Kazaana hasn't opened."

Myoga watched as this knowledge sunk into Kagome's, Miroku's, and Sango's faces, and knew that the horror shown in their eyes were shown in their eyes was about to get worse with his next sentence.

_Hmmm_, the flea thought. _Maybe it would be more prudent just to alert Kagome and Kaede for now, and then Inuyasha- once he awakens, that is. Yes, it would save Miroku and Sango worry..._

"That is all I need to say," Myoga lied, not a false note in his voice. "Miroku and Sango, you may depart now."

"But- we want to stay!" Miroku and Sango protested together.

"No, you must be with your children, they must still be upset," Myoga stated.

This convinced them to leave, the sake of their children. "You're right, come on Miroku," Sango said as she pulled her husband out of Kaede's hut.

Kaede shot Myoga a look as she force-fed Inuyasha another strange herb. "Rin, go and fetch me some more...water," the priestess ordered.

Rin sighed, picking up on her cue to leave, and stomped out of the hut.

"Why did they have to leave, youkai-flea?" Kaede asked curiously.

Myoga's face went blank with surprise and Kagome stared at them both questioningly. What was going on here?

Then, gathering up the strength to hear more, Kagome asked, "Myoga, what _are_ you hiding from us?"

_**Author's Notes: Yay! Done with Forbidden Spell Part 1! R&R! ^_^**_


	10. Forbidden Spell 2

_**Author's Notes: The Forbidden Spell, Part 2! *duh duh dun*And special thanks to Rainbowed-Sunned-Spirit for adding me to your C2! Thanks! :)**_

_"Why did they have to leave, youkai-flea?"Kaede asked curiously._

_Myoga's face went blank with surprise and Kagome stared at them both questioningly. What was going on here?_

_Then, gathering up the strength to hear more, Kagome asked, "Myoga, what __**are**__ you hiding from us?_

Myoga sighed. "Very well...you must know, there have been rumors, but what Miroku saw, and Inuyasha's transformation, seems to confirm my suspicions."

"Which are...?" Kagome urged.

Myoga sighed again. "First, I must tell you the story of the Forbidden Spell."

Kagome, confused, looked at Kaede, but did not see any comprehension in her face, either.

Myoga coughed, re-capturing Kagome's attention, and burst into speech. His speech flowed like a well-versed nursery rhyme, fluid as if it had been told thousands of times, each to a different baffled audience.

"Hundreds of years ago, the most evil of youkai kind were being hunted down by groups of strong, formidable demon hunters. Naturally, the youkai sought a way to spurn their advances. The solution they found was quite...effective. They sought out powerful magic-castors to enchant them-"

"- you mean like mikos?" Kagome asked.

'No, Lady Kagome, not entirely- these people were darker, more like sorcerers..."Myoga stated, face downcast, "I would compare them to the sorcerer Urasue, the one who brought Kikyo back to life."

Kagome flinched a bit at Kikyo's name. "Oh...continue, please."

"As I was saying, they sought out powerful beings to enchant them, so, in case that they were destroyed in battle, they could return. The enchanters gave them the power that they wanted with a spell, fearing for their lives if they refused the youkai."

"This became a problem - so many youkai were surviving the demon hunters' attacks that groups of villagers consulted an extremely powerful magic-castor, powerful beyond all the others, but she was not dark, like the rest. This is the one that I would compare to a miko, Kagome."

"The enchantress was very brave, so she used her own power to curse the spell and created an "ultimate punishment" for whoever decided to cast the soul-saving spell, though unfortunately, she had to forfeit her own life in the process," Myoga added sadly.

Kaede tsked. "Poor thing," she said, nodding her head.

"Yes, but she did it all for the good of her people," Myoga agreed. "She is someone to be admired more than to be pitied."

"What was the punishment?" Kagome asked, inquisitive.

"No one knows." Myoga replied simply. "It's a mystery."

Myoga proceeded with the story. "...and so the spell became known as the Forbidden Spell, never to enchant anyone again, at least, until -"

"...now," Kagome finished, a horrified look her in eyes. "You...you think that Naraku had this spell cast on him?" she asked shrilly, almost scared of the answer.

"Yes. After the master's transformation and what Miroku has seen, I'm afraid there can be no doubt."

"Why would th-"

"-because the Forbidden Spell has a side effect...it causes the power of nearby youkai to increase, which would explain the master's transformation. His hanyou body couldn't stand the boost..."

"B-but how does this spell even work?"

"After the body of the said youkai is destroyed, the soul remains here, dwelling until a 'trigger' action causes it to reawaken."

"Like a...ghost?"

"Precisely! And the spirit grows in strength overtime, eventually rebuilding the body." Myoga broke of awkwardly, pausing a few seconds before finishing his statement. "I don't have any idea what would have served as the 'trigger' though..."

Kagome gulped, looking at Inuyasha's sleeping face.

"How long do we have until Naraku has his body back?"

"Maybe a month, perhaps less..."

A month? "How do we stop it?"

"I...don't know. You would have to ask someone more knowledgeable about the magic involved, Lady Kagome..."

"Do ye know anyone?" asked Kaede. She certainly knew no one in the area that would fit such a 'sorcerer' description.

Myoga heaved a sigh.

"There is an elderly woman, about a week's travel east of this village, who the information has been past down to over the generations, but if you intend to question her, you'll want to wait until the master is well..."

_*flashback over*_

Across the hut, Inuyasha mumbled Kagome's name so clearly she thought he had waken up at last, having been out of it for a day now. But then he rolled over onto his other side, sleepily mumbling her name again...

"Kagome. Y-yes. I-I really do love her." He mumbled dreamily.

Kagome gasped and a tear slide down her cheek. He loves me!

She looked down on his face again. _Oh, how I wish you would wake up and tell me that when you actually know you're saying it, Inuyasha,_ she thought exasperatedly.

Inuyasha rolled over again, restless, as Kaede came into the hut. "Good, good, he's moving. He should wake any time, child, so don't fret," she called; mistaking Kagome's frazzled appearance for worry.

"A-all thanks to you and your herbs, Kaede." Kagome shot her a grateful look. She got up awkwardly to face the elder miko. "Thanks, again, Kaede."

"No thanks are required," she said kindly, before getting a mischievous look in her dusty eyes. "Besides, I heard that you had a big part in helping the boy..."

Confused, Kagome looked back at her. To her surprise, Kaede winked at her. "I heard all about how you saved him, from-"

Red-faced, Kagome blurted out, "Miroku!"

Kaede nodded, chuckling, while glancing down at Inuyasha again.

Inuyasha moaned causing both Kagome and Kaede to jump, and then the hanyou sat up, saying "Wha-"

That was all he got out before Kagome ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. His face turned pink.

"Inu-Inuyasha! You idiot, why did you h-have to go and al-almost die!" She sobbed into his shoulder.

Kaede, thinking that they needed some time, quietly slipped out of her hut.

_**Author's Notes: Well, this chapter was definitely fun to write. I loved making up the 'Forbidden Spell' ^_^ Please leave some reviews, they encourage faster updates! *cough, cough* If you were curious about what Inuyasha was dreaming about, you'll find out soon!**_


	11. Drifting and Dreaming

**Author's Notes: Special chapter! Were you wondering what Inuyasha was dreaming about when he fell unconscious? Read and find out!**

Inuyasha felt a surge of power stream through him…_Kagome_?

He felt unconsciousness take over him as…someone…let go of him. He fought against it for a moment, and his consciousness wavered.

He felt his body fall down and then the struggle to breathe began. It was so tough, and Inuyasha couldn't keep it up…

Inuyasha heard Kagome call out his name. He tried to answer back, but he couldn't seem to move his mouth. He felt oddly disconnected from the rest of the world.

The unconsciousness fought harder and Inuyasha no longer held the strength to push back.

_Is…this…death? No…not now…_

That was his last thought as he faded away from the darkness…away from numbed reality…

**Nothing. No feeling**.

**Then…**

What is this? Inuyasha thought, feeling himself being almost violently jerked back into reality. He looked around him- it was all smoky swirls and curling wisps of color. He felt weightless as he stood up- or was he already standing? The result was nauseaeting. He made a wretching sound as he heard a very familiar voice call out his name.

_No_, he thought, incredulously, _it can't be…that's impossible…unless I'm dead, too._

The voice called out again.

_Yes, that's her voice…that's mother's voice._

And then the owner of the soft tones appeared; a beautiful woman with long, black, floor-length hair. Its sheen was that of finely polished, sparkling glass.

Lady Izyaoi.

_Mother!_

He ran up to her stumbling on his feet- feet! - the whole way. His mind rolled in excitement.

She held out her arms to him. "My boy!" she called. "My boy…my boy…my boy… oh how we've been parted far too long…"

Inuyasha threw his arms around his mother, embracing her for a second. When he let go, he simply choked out, "but you're dead."

Izyaoi sighed. She had known that they would have to get to this topic eventually. Still, it seemed like the hug should have lasted longer.

"Yes…?"Izyaoi said. Inuyasha looked scared- fear? Since when did her Inuyasha really fear anything? He had been so reckless, even as a child…

What Inuyasha said next cleared up Izyaoi confusion.

"Mother…I'm dead, too?"

Inuyasha looked sadly at her son, but then smiled.

"No, Inuyasha, your time has not come, yet…" she allowed. No doubt Izyaoi wanted her son with her, but she would have to wait…

Inuyasha's face brightened, but he still looked skeptical. He started to say, "Kagome…"

He was interrupted by his mother, who finished the statement for him.

"-saved your life, yes."

Inuyasha bit his tongue, unsure of what to state to his mother now. How ironic…how he had imagined seeing his mother again, but now that she was right in front of him, he had no idea what to say to her. To his surprise, Izyaoi's face broke into a smile again.

Inuyasha grinned sheepishly in return, glad to see his mother smile. It had been a sight indeed in his early years.

She was the first one to break the silence.

"Inuyasha…you've grown…such a strong young boy, just like your father…"

Inuyasha grin widened in reply. "Yes…"

"and…"

"What?"

"You've…met a girl that you love!"

Inuyasha's face went hot pink. "What?"

Izyaoi shot him a quizzical look, almost furtive. "You don't?"

Inuyasha stuttered and rubbed the back of his head furiously. "Kagome, yes, I-I really do love her." How strange…the words sounded very loud on his ears…

His heart pounded fast and he was afraid to open his eyes to see Izyaoi's expression. But…surely mother would approve, wouldn't she?

Izyaoi still had the same, happy smile glued on her face.

"Well, if you love her, your way forward is clear. Be happy with Kagome, my boy."

Inuyasha had to strain his ears to hear the last bit. Her voice was fading. Was he going back…waking up? But he didn't want to leave, yet! But consciousness continued to tug on him, letting him know it was time was up, and he had to go.

His stomach lurched when Izyaoi wrapped her arms around him, just like she had done when Inuyasha was a young boy.

"Be safe, Inuyasha," she whispered in his ear as he vanished back over into a world where she didn't belong anymore…

**INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA**

Inuyasha sat up, confused and disoriented, blurting out, "Wha…"

Someone wrapped their arms around him…Kagome. She smelled so wonderful…he felt himself blush.

"Inu-Inuyasha! You idiot, why did you h-have to go and al-almost die!"

He patted her back comfortingly, watching Kaede leave the hut timidly. _It won't happen it again, Kagome, I promise._

_**Author's Notes: I know that this was a really short chapter, but the story will be updated with a longer chapter soon! Special thanks to reviewers: InuLuver22199, xo-silvr star-ox, Inume-blue, Inu-1111, reviewer, Rainbowed-Sunned-Spirit, and Midnight5521! R&R!**_


	12. Oh, Well

_**Author's Notes: Here's the deal: I'm tired, I'm sick, and I'm listening to Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged Lady GaGa parodies. Plus, this is the first chapter I am going to completely wing. Chaos, hilarity, fluffiness or whatever ensues. Whichever comes, will come. You have been warned XD.**_

After a while, Myoga had decided to explain the the whole 'forbidden spell' tale to Inuyasha. It's a relief that Myoga choose to do this in a hut, far away from the un-scarred minds of Miroku's and Sango's children. That flea must have seen it coming. Well, he was pretty wise.

Inuyasha, being the level headed, calm, and collected person that we all know and love, took the fact that his arch enemy was almost alive and well once more rather well.

Yeah, right.

Though, on the bright side, he only ended up knocking down _one_ wall. _Oh_, _well_…

Did she mention how great Inuyasha's level of self-control was? It was improving more and more every day…

Kagome sighed, reminiscing about the conversation. Inuyasha had let loose quite a few colorful curses, only calming down after Kagome screamed, to the top of her lungs, "SIT, boy!"

Inuyasha only had time for a feeble protest before the enchanted beads pulled him to the ground, face first in the dirt. "Kago-umph!" calm

Well, at least it had cooled down his rage, right? Right…?

_Oh_, _well_. Tomorrow, she and Inuyasha would set off to find this old lady that Myoga spoke of and would question her, and then go from there on the leads they found.

An important concept had been brought to Kagome's attention during the whole thing…what if Inuyasha transformed again? This idea instantly sent her into a frantic worried phase. She couldn't let that happen _again_, no, she just _couldn't_…!

To her relief, Myoga had told her that she should be able to stop the transformation if the situation became too risky. She just had to make sure to use her spiritual powers on Inuyasha before the predicament got out of hand, and everything would turn out fine.

Inuyasha had grudgingly consented to immediately inform Kagome if he felt strange, if he noticed anything off at all. Having independent tendencies, he naturally wanted to just tough it out. Alas, Kagome and Myoga had beaten the promise out of him in the end.

Or more like _sat_ the promise out of him. Heh heh.

At first, Miroku had wanted to come with them- just for support, in case they need help, or if anything went wrong.

Before Kagome even had to chance to say anything, Inuyasha had pounded Miroku on the back of the head, saying "Oh, no, you don't, Miroku, you've got kids now, you just can't go running off into danger anymore!"

The monk sighed. "Very well, my friend…but are sure you really won't require my assistanc- aaah!"

Inuyasha had punched the top of his head again. "Heh, Miroku, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you just wanted a piece of the action." Inuyasha smirked, looking down at Miroku, who was rubbing his head with a pained expression painted on his face. "I can handle it alright by myself, and with Kagome, okay!"

Miroku turned away with a resigned expression. "But…are you really su-gah, Inuyasha, stop doing that!"

With a "heh," Inuyasha left Miroku to clutch his head, who was mumbling something that sounded like "over reaction, why I ought to…_oh_, _well_…"

Kagome, bemused, had revolved on the spot to follow Inuyasha…

Hours later, Kagome was sighing softly to herself. Now, it was nearly dusk, and Kagome was searching for a special herb Kaede had instructed her to find. She had no idea where Inuyasha had run off to. It had seemed like one moment he had been there beside her, and the next...gone.

Another sigh. _Oh_, _well_…

Her search for the flowers that Kaede had described brought her a ways from the village.

Kagome didn't realize where she was headed until she saw the familiar sight before her.

In front of her, there was the well. She had led herself to the well. How unexpected.

A sad feeling overcame, bearing down on her so that it actually felt solid. If this sadness actually had a real weight, she would have been crushed flat to the ground in an instant. She missed her family and longed to tell them all about what had happened, longed to see that caring face of her brother, and longed to talk to those listening ears of her mother…

Kagome chuckled to herself. She was even missing the superstitions of her grandfather. Kagome had never thought she would have ever lived to see the day when she missed _that_.

Letting out a rush of air, she plopped down on the well's edge, hands propping her head up, elbows on her lap, feet swinging in the light breeze.

She thought about the world that she had left for a while. She kicked at the grass beneath her feet, lost in thought, in memory. That was the world she had been born into, but it was so strange, yet so wonderful, how _well_ she fit into this world, too.

She fit well into this world with Inuyasha, of course.

Suddenly, Kagome felt a stir when someone sat beside her. Startled, she almost fell off the well's edge, only to have heart lift when she saw that it was none other than Inuyasha. "…Where have you been?" she asked, as he crouched down beside her, arms folded and legs crossed.

"No where…"

Did she detect a hint of sadness in his voice? "Where were you, Inuyasha?' she asked more seriously, staring the boy in the face intently.

She was surprised when the hanyou looked away, his golden eyes darting to the side. "…I went to my mother's grave."

Kagome almost gasped. "Oh…" she started lamely, her expression softening. She wondered briefly what would have gave him the sudden urge to visit his mother's resting place, but then thought better of it. Now was not the time to dwell on such matters…but what could she do to make him feel better?

Kagome blushed. She had an idea, but it would be bold…

Hoping that it would turn out okay, and gathering up her will power, Kagome hugged him. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha," she murmered.

She heard a chuckle. Wait…a chuckle? Not a 'heh' or something similar?

She looked up in disbelief into a smiling face.

For a few seconds, Kagome was overcome with emotion. Inuyasha very rarely smiled sincerely, with good purpose. His smile was…beautiful. _Devastatingly_ so. You could just see the fanged canines on the inside of his mouth…and the way it made his eyes light up…

Her heart began to pound almost painfully. _Heartbreakingly_ so.

Inuyasha began to chuckle louder and more freely.

"What's so funny?" Kagome called out, distantly aware of how off her voice sounded. How could a mere smile have such a striking effect on her? She was almost dizzy…

Her cheeks reddened now. Why would Inuyasha think a hug was amusing?

Inuyasha opened his still beaming mouth to speak. Kagome had never known him to smile so long. Perhaps he was not aware of it, himself. "I'm just thinking about what my mother would say, Kagome," he said, leaning over to her, his face dangerously close to hers.

Only a bit more…was he? Was he going to kiss he-

` -"Oh! I-I'm sorry!" called a nervous, flustered sounding voice squeaked out.

Kagome and Inuyasha jumped back from each other, faces completely red, Inuyasha gibbering out, "Rin? What are you doing here?"

Rin looked even more frazzled. "Uh, Lady Kaede, she, uh, sent me…"

A moments' silence, then a mortified Rin blurted out, "Look, I'm really sorry if I was interrupting anything, you guys…"

"I-interrupting?" Kagome gave a nervous laugh. "No, we were just about to leave to go back to the village, weren't we, I-Inuyasha?" she trilled, her voice cracking.

Inuyasha was looked down at his feet, red-faced as Kagome. "Y-yeah, Rin, we were just about to head back…"

Rin shrugged. "Well, if you're sure, you'd better follow me back then, you two have a long day ahead of you tomorrow…"

Kagome could have sworn Rin had just winked at her. Blinking, she looked back swiftly at Rin, but the girl's face was hidden behind a curtain of hair.

In mortified silence, Inuyasha and Kagome trudged after Rin.

But what Rin didn't notice was that Inuyasha and Kagome held hands the entire way back.

And what Kagome didn't notice was that she had forgotten all about collecting the wild flowers for Kaede.

_Oh_, _well_….

_**Author's Notes: Done! Aren't fillers just the best parts ever? -_-; Heh, heh, yeah…Thanks so much for the reviews. Any questions, comments, concerns, just hit the review button, thanks! ^_^ **_

_**Fun Fact: There were more views for Chapter 11 than Chapter 10, LOL! XD**_


	13. Answer Me

_**Author's Notes: Chapter 13, the start of the adventure! I really hope you like it!**_

Sango pulled Kagome into a stiff, air-constricting hug. It was the kind of hug that you had to squeeze out of delicately, for fear that the person would latch onto you even tighter…it was a real 'let-me-go-now-because-I-can't-_breathe_!' sort of hug. "Promise me that you'll be careful, Kagome, and try to stay out of danger, please?" she pleaded, pulling out of the embrace.

Kagome pulled back and coy smiled at Sango, Miroku, and Kaede, who were all congregated around her, with downcast expressions on their faces. "Don't I always stay out of trouble, Sango?" she retorted back, sly as a fox, the corners of her lips twitching.

Sango smiled a little aversely. Her heart was heavy with disappointment; her best friend had just returned not long ago, a time almost marred by tragedy, she had barely gotten the chance to catch up, and now Kagome was leaving _again_.

_Well, at least she's not alone this time_, Sango thought ruefully as she turned to gaze at Inuyasha, who was already perched atop of Kirara, staring ahead impatiently. It looked like he was trying to push the cat forward with sheer, undiluted willpower.

Sango held back a chuckle. Always so ready for the action, Inuyasha was. In the face of peril, he was never the one to sit still and wait it out. Reaching for Miroku's hand, she made a motion towards the eager-looking hanyou. She felt the hand move as Miroku shook with silent laughter.

"Keh!" Inuyasha burst out, "come on, Kagome, we don't have all day! Hurry up!" Why did she have to be so slow, she was wasting time…

Kagome sent Inuyasha an annoyed look. When this failed to get his attention, she shot a Kagome Glare™ at him (now patented in Japan: side effects may include, but are not limited to, a massively swelled head, the emotional scarring of small children, and a significant drop in friends. Do not use in excess).

Inuyasha slowly turned around, saw the look on Kagome's face, shivered and turned away again, unnerved, his eyes nearly twice their former size. "…wench," he scoffed, but the menacing effect was lost in the way that his voice shook.

A little smug from Inuyasha's reaction, Kagome mounted Kirara's back while exchanging another round of farewells with others, mixed in with some extra words from Kaede.

"Kagome," the old priestess reassured her, "if you do not return within the month's passing, we shall come after ye, child."

Kagome nodded, gulping, as Kirara began her ascent. If worse came to worse, at least she and Inuyasha had friends to back them up, right?

But still…if worse did come to worse, and Sango and Miroku or even Kaede got hurt for their sakes, she'd never be able to forgive herself. We'll get this done, though, she thought, trying to ease her already guilty conscience.

Inuyasha was thinking along the same lines. "Heh, we'll get this done soon enough, and you bet we'll be back before long, you know, hag…so don't worry about us!" he snorted, yelling to the group confidently as they rose higher and higher into the sky.

Though, Kagome noticed, as the light caught his eyes, causing the golden orbs to sparkle amazingly, that they seemed to soften around the edges. Perhaps he was worrying about the alternative, too.

And then they were off, the others waving until they became the size of ants from Kagome and Inuyasha's outlook.

In truth, not much happened over the days that followed. Kirara flew onwards, and they occasionally took a break to eat, bathe (this was a demand from Kagome), and such.

In fact, the days were so uneventful that Kagome began to wonder if Inuyasha had ever truly came close to kissing her that day by the well, before they had been interrupted. Maybe it had just been a wishful figment of her overactive imagination. Inuyasha certainly wasn't trying to make a move on her…

Speaking of Inuyasha, he seemed perfectly content to lay on his back and watch the sky all day and night, his ears perked up, listening for any signs of excitement. Kagome wondered what he was brooding about. Not that it was any of her concern…

Then, about a week, more or less, from the start of their journey, their supplies began to dwindle more and more, almost to the point where the supplies were inexistent.

Finally, Kagome put her foot down, and insisted that they replenish the stores at a village, which appeared to be very busy from their bird's-eye view, teaming with dots going back and forth, that Kirara had been gliding over.

Grunting and mumbling about 'more time wasted,' Inuyasha finally agreed, and, upon a nicely phrased request from Kagome, Kirara began to soar downwards, landing near the village.

They had no idea what fate had in store for them.

Or perhaps they did, in reality, have a small, shrewd idea as to what lie ahead, for when Kagome and Inuyasha walked up to the village together, the hanyou gasped. Kagome, surprised, jumped and said, "I-Inuyasha? What's wrong?"

Inuyasha's face had darkened, bent forward, and his hair had fallen in front of his eyes, covering them up, so that Kagome couldn't see the recognition and shock in them. In a deadly calm voice, Inuyasha droned out, "Kagome, let's go back to Kirara."

When Kagome stood still, a little frightened by Inuyasha's sudden change in mood, Inuyasha brought his face back up to meet hers. He looked very angry. Involuntarily, Kagome stumbled back a few steps.

Kagome felt immediately guilty when Inuyasha reached out an arm towards her, looking hurt for a few moments before holding out his other arm, grabbing her, his fierce expression returning. "Let's go, now!" he ordered, and jerked Kagome forward.

But Kagome refused to budge, dragging her feet in the ground purposely. "Inuyasha…what's wrong?"

Inuyasha turned back to her with a saddened look on his face. This is what upset Kagome more than anything else, and she reached up to stroke face comfortingly. "What's wrong?" she repeated, but softer, in a whispered voice.

Inuyasha pulled his face away from her touch. "Nothing," he muttered, all trace of sadness gone, and attempted to walk away.

He was stopped by Kagome's death-grip on his arm, immobilizing his body. She supposed Inuyasha could have easily pulled away, but why didn't he?

"Let me go, Kagome!" he yelled, looking furious.

"No!" she screamed back. "Not until you tell me what's wrong!"

_**Author's Notes: Cliffhanger! Heh heh... Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed, you have my sincerest gratitude. The following is for you all!**_

_**moonlit echoes: XD I thought it was a pretty funny chapter, too. I giggled out loud while writing it a few times. All in all, one of my goofy, romantic-y chapters. Thank you for the review!**_

_**rainbowed-sunned-spirit: Thank you so much for all the reviews! When I see one of your reviews, because you're like my favorite author on this entire fandom (you and Whitewolfffy) and because you leave such lengthy, cheery reviews, my whole day becomes just a bit better. XD I can't wait to post my Christmas one-shot, although I think that it will probably be more like a double (or maybe even triple) shot. I'm also thinking about doing a whole BankotsuXJakotsu story, just to be different, but you probably wouldn't like that pairing, heh heh ^^;. Again, THANK YOU!**_

_**inume-blue: And, last but definately not least, thank you! Your reviews are always so encouraging, it just makes me want to get up and write more then and there (and a few have actually caused me to do just that :)) I love Rin, too, she's one of my favorite characters. But, to let you in on a little secret, Sesshomaru won't get this girl's affections easily-he's going to have some competition (cough kohaku cough). **_

_**~Some major gratitude to you guys, and to everyone else who has reviewed along the way. This story has still got quite a bit to go! -sunokofairytale :)**_


	14. Into The Soul, Into The Mind

"No!" she screamed back. "Not until you tell me what's wrong!" What was so _wrong_about this village that Inuyasha wanted to leave so quickly?

"I already told you, nothing's wrong!" Inuyasha yelled back at her, a brutal scowl painted on his face. His patience with the girl wore thin as she refused to move, and he tugged his arm away from her steadfast (yet so weak…after all, Kagome _was_ only human) grip with an unintended, violent force.

The abrupt motion sent Kagome plummeting to the ground, tumbling and sprawled backwards.

The hanyou felt his stomach drop as Kagome looked up at him, her eyes flashing precariously.

Inuyasha had once heard that the eyes were a window to the soul- probably from Miroku, he was full of weird quotes like that. Inuyasha couldn't help but wonder if they were they a portal into the mind, as when Kagome stared at him with those wide, hurt, brown eyes, which were slowly narrowing at him with increasing frustration, Inuyasha felt the strangest sense of déjà vu…the boy thought he knew _exactly_ what she was thinking…and, by extension, what she was going to say next.

He tried to drop to the ground as fast as he could on his own free will. He really did try. He almost made it. Almost.

But he just wasn't fast enough. Anyways, Kagome was furious, and the anger only increased the speed of her words. "Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit!" she screamed to the top of her lungs.

Needless to say, Inuyasha was 'grounded' for a pretty long time. "…wench!" Inuyasha muttered with a mouthful of dirt when he was finally able to move. "I didn't mean to knock you over, Kagome!" he said, pulling himself out of the Inuyasha-shaped imprint in the dirt.

But Kagome was already marching into the village, head held high. She was getting the supplies, whether Inuyasha agreed or not! "You jerk, Inuyasha!" she yelled back over her shoulder, face burning. She threw in another "Sit, boy!" for good measure.

Once he was back on his feet (again), Inuyasha called back to her retreating figure. "Feh! Fine! The stuff is over past the bridge with the stream under it, so hurry up and get back!"

Kagome pretended not hear, but she followed the hanyou's instructions anyway, with as much dignity as she could manage, knowing that she had acted just as immaturely as Inuyasha had.

**INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA**

As she strolled over a stony bridge, Kagome pondered over the whole matter. Honestly, what was it about this place that bothered him so badly? While Inuyasha might tried to hide how upset he was, but Kagome knew, deep down inside her heart, that something was just plain _wrong_ with him.

Did Inuyasha think that the village was too dangerous?

_It seems safe enough to me_, Kagome thought as two young children ran past her, giggling and shoving each other playfully.

And, besides, if Inuyasha thought this place held some danger within its walls, wouldn't he be trying to pick a fight with what, or who, ever it was, right about now? It was uncharacteristic of him to simply _run away_from a threat. Kagome knew the pugnacious boy preferred a good fight to what he would view as cowardice any day.

Sighing, Kagome examined a piece of dried meat that she had picked up off a cart of wares, absentmindedly twirling it in her fingers, while the card vendor looked at her suspiciously. The man probably thought she would try to steal something.

Suddenly, she felt a jerk on her shoulder. Shocked, she dropped the sliver of meat unto the table top, looking up into a stranger's face.

He was an old man, probably around the age of seventy or eighty years of age. He had a kind face- but that didn't mean Kagome trusted him.

She had been trying to find her voice, when the vendor cleared his own throat and said, "Why, Elder Nakamaru, what are _you_ doing down here?"

The old man chuckled good-naturedly, and said "Oh, I just wanted to have a word with our young lady here," he gestured, with a frail, trembling arm, weak with old age, towards a bewildered Kagome. "If that is alright with you, dear?" he asked, tone light, but Kagome could detect an undercurrent of seriousness hidden in his gravelly voice.

Kagome nodded ambivalently. What could this man possible want with her?

…It seemed lately she had a lot more questions then she had answers.

"Well, then, follow me…" the man said, leading her to a secluded spot by the stream. The few children who had been playing by the river nodded respectively towards the man when they saw him, glanced at Kagome, and left, talking animatedly between themselves, laughing.

The man, who she now knew to be called Nakamaru, turned to her and looked her in the eyes.

A shiver ran down Kagome's spin. His eyes, unlike his body, were _strong_. They shone with bright intelligence and a kind of lasting wisdom that Kagome guessed never failed to make an impression upon anyone he looked at.

Nakamaru spoke slowly to Kagome, but confidence rang in every facet of his voice. "I have lived in this village for over seventy years," he informed her, "Despite my years, I've been blessed with a strong memory; I remember every man, woman, and child, who has ever dwelled here." Nakamaru closed his eyes for a moment, and shook his gray-haired head for a moment, before resting his eyes upon Kagome's face again.

So strong.

Kagome was confused, to be blunt. "Why are you telling me this?" she questioned, hoping she didn't sound rude.

"Because, dear, you are traveling with someone who used to live here, about fifty or sixty years ago, with his mother. Although, it really didn't look like he had aged that much- he should be an old man, like me, by this time! I suppose that's the youkai blood showing in him. What was his name, again? Ah, yes, I believe it was _Inuyasha_…"

_**Author's Notes: Sorry it took a bit long to update, but I was trying to come up with a way to make the whole 'finding Inuyasha's village from when he was a kid' scene a bit more unique and original. Lol, TaKeR90 even guessed my little cliché. Though, all that other stuff will come more into play in the next chapter…Anyways, I have an OC now…kind of. He won't be in the story for very long, only this chapter and the next, but I thought he should have name XD. I hope he isn't a completely Mary-sue…or Gary-stew, I think it's called. And, as always, thanks for the lovely feedback! **_


	15. Dizzy Apologies

_**Author's Notes: Sorry that this chapter was kind of late, but apparently there were technical difficulties for many authors on the site the past few days, so I kind of held off on updating. Now, everything seems to be running fine...I hope I don't jinx it. XD**_

_"I believe his name was Inuyasha…"_

Kagome gasped. So this was the village that Inuyasha had lived out his childhood? With his mother, by the sound of it? Kagome shuddered, thinking back to the time that she and Inuyasha had encountered the imposter of Inuyasha's mother, provided by Sesshomaru, all those years ago. But she, Inuyasha's true mother, was dead…had Izyaoi died here?

Was that why Inuyasha hated this place?

Kagome head was spinning out of control- so many questions, not enough of answers. Inuyasha had never discussed his life, pre-Kikyo, with her. Maybe he had told Kikyo all about it, but not her. A blaze of jealously twisted it's thorns in her heart, only to be pushed aside by stronger emotions- guilt and pity.

Guilt, because _this _was why Inuyasha hadn't wanted to come here. She knew at last- and now she wished she would have just left the village in the first place. After all, coming here wasn't worth causing Inuyasha any more pain. Pity, because it must be so terrible for him to back here. And to think, Kagome had added insult to injury herself when she had fought with him.

The remorse grew stronger, knowing that just a few moments ago she had been obsessing over Kikyo, when Inuyasha was the one she should be concerned about. Oh, Inuyasha…

Nakamaru eyed Kagome face, clearly disliking the lack of joy shown there. He shrugged- he wasn't about to attempt to understand the mind of the youth these days. They thought in strange ways, ways that he couldn't begin to comprehend now, he told himself.

"So, dear, it is Inuyasha, isn't it?" he asked, sounding more and more curious, but Kagome thought she could detect a hint of another emotion- a dark, sad feeling- boiling behind his light words. Unease spread through her, and she was unsure how to answer the man.

Would verifying Inuyasha's identity cause uproar? She knew absolutely nothing about the life Inuyasha had lead here- what if he had caused trouble here, like he had in so many other places. He hadn't been exactly a nice guy when she had met him, and she didn't know what he had been when Nakamaru had known him.

If nothing else, the man could simply be prejudiced against hanyou kind, like so many others in his time- human and youkai, alike. It seemed like dislike and disregard for hanyou was the only common thing that most seemed to share.

Yet the man didn't seem angry. In fact, as Kagome examined his facial expression, wrinkles and all, he seemed almost…amused, and depressed. The weird combination was quite disturbing, and Kagome took a few steps back from the villager.

And even if Nakamaru didn't have a problem with Inuyasha…there was still the matter of Inuyasha having a problem with Nakamaru. It didn't look like Inuyasha wanted his presence known here in the village- would confirming his name to Nakamaru, a stranger, be considered a betrayal to the hanyou that she loved so much?

She didn't want to hurt him.

Kagome made up her mind- she would respect Inuyasha's wishes. She only hoped that he would do the same for her, given the opportunity.

Straightening up, Kagome stared the man straight in the eyes, and smiled as sweetly as she could. "No, his name isn't Inuyasha. I don't even _know_ an 'Inuyasha,'" she lied, "and if that's all, I must be going."

And with that said, Kagome started to leave the aged man, who was scratching his head in apparent confusion, mumbling, "…but I could have sworn…" She felt a little bad about lying to him, but she supposed it couldn't be helped.

Just as Kagome had taken a few steps away, a hand grabbed her shoulder, twisting her around with surprising strength towards Nakamaru, once more.

All traces of friendliness had been abandoned in the look in his face. He appeared to be terribly sad, and it was scaring Kagome, who was struggling to free her arm, but the elder held onto her with the same unexpected strength from someone so old.

So strong.

"Dear," he started out, sounding miserable, "one thing I have come to detest in my years is repeating myself."

Kagome gulped, her heart speeding. Would he try to hurt her? But if she was in any danger, surely Inuyasha would come to her rescue.

…Right?

"As I've told you," Nakamaru said, "I remember every- and I mean _every_- person who has ever dwelled here."

A shiver went down Kagome spin, and she attempted to tug her arm out of his hold, but it was no use.

So strong. Too strong.

"I know that it _is _Inuyasha outside those gates. I want you…" – he moved closer, "to tell him…"- closer, "that we are…"- even closer- "sorry. Please tell him that, please." Her head was spinning…so dizzy…

And Nakamaru released his grip on Kagome, walking away, over a bridge…past a corner…out of sight…and then Nakamaru was gone. The dizziness didn't leave her, though.

Kagome heart thundered. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't catch her breath.

What was _that_? He was sorry? No, no, Nakamaru had said '_we_.' As in, more than one? And what were they sorry about? What had they done to Inuyasha?

More and more question piled themselves in Kagome's head and she began to run out of the village, only stopping once she had reached Kirara outside the gates, with Inuyasha lounging on top of her.

"Inu…yasha…" she panted, before the dizziness and the spinning overwhelmed her, and everything turned black.

_**Author's Notes: Yes, I'm aware that this chapter was a bit short. I promise the next one will be uber-long to make up for it. As always, I'm super grateful to the reviewers for their awesome reviews (you guys are the best!) and feel free to leave more of those awesome reviews. Thanks!**_


	16. Weakness and Strength

_**Author's Notes: I am really, really sorry for taking so long to update! I just had school, and friends, and then places I had to go, and other...distractions. But, hopefully, I should be back to updating at least once a week, again! I really hope this chapter makes up for my absence, its not a terribly short one this time xD. I hope you all like it, and, again, I'm sorry!**_

"Ungh," Kagome murmured as she woke up, covered all over in something soft and warm. It was comforting, really. Made her want to forget all about everything, sink back into the cushioned whatever-it-was, and just take a nice, long, relaxing nap.

Kagome sleepily realized that she was sleeping in Kirara's fur, the cat tucked around her like a furry blanket, her coat spreading the cat's body heat to her.

Then, reality hit her like a raging wind would hit a poorly build house; it knocked down her walls, caused her insides to quiver, her comforts to tumble down, and left a blank sort of devastation in its wake. The funny thing was, well, not that funny, in actuality, is that this chaos was all caused with one thought, one word…Inuyasha.

_Inuyasha._

Kagome bolted up, startling KiRaRa in the process, and the cat leapt up, yowling in surprise. Kagome looked all around, swiveling her head left in right, examining her surroundings thoroughly. No sign of the red-clad hanyou.

"Where is Inuyasha?" she asked frantically, knowing full well that Kirara wouldn't be capable of providing a response, at least not one that Kagome could interpret.

In this sense, she was right. A slight, worried-sounding meow was elicited from Kirara, and that was it. Kagome knew that must have blacked out, for what reasons she didn't know, so what conclusion had Inuyasha had come to…?

Just then, her thoughts were answered by several screams, sounding like they were coming from…the village?

_Oh no! Inuyasha! What are you __**doing**__?_

Kagome took off, running straight into the village, as fast as her legs would carry her. She only hoped she could make it in time, before anything serious would happen. If she didn't stop him, Kagome knew something, _something_, would happen. It was inevitable. Each stride took Kagome closer and closer to the gates, while, at the same time, she fought off a strange, numbing dizziness. The same dizziness that had overtaken her before…

**INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA **

Inuyasha raged and rampaged, one clawed hand wrapped tightly around his father's sword. His sword, now. He reckoned that he had been through enough with that same sword to call it his own, for the time being.

"Who hurt Kagome?" he demanded to know from some of the village women, gathered together, probably gossiping about petty village affairs. Unsurprisingly, they all shrieked to the top of their lungs and fled.

Inuyasha cursed, moving on to the next group of villagers. They all had a similar reaction, even though most of this group had been comprised of males. Inuyasha had smirked at that. Bunch of cowards, the people who resided in _this_ village, they were. One of them even stumbled and fell on his side. Heh, how weak.

Inuyasha's heart sank like a stone, then, remembering how Kagome had collapsed in front of him, and how he couldn't wake her up, how he had to leave her with Kirara, while he ran into the village to hunt down whoever had done this to her.

And to make matters worse, this all had to happen at _this _village, didn't it? Why now? Why had _Kagome _targeted? What had she done?

…Whoever had hurt her was going to pay! He would make sure of that…

Scowling, Inuyasha sniffed the air, searching for the scent that had clung to Kagome's unconscious body. The scent itself had seemed eerily familiar…

The scent in question was drawing ever nearer, and Inuyasha unsheathed his sword completely. This gave Inuyasha has satisfying feeling, the feeling that he was actually getting to do _something_, after days of travel. The sword's mighty blade gleamed as the sunlight reflected off of it, as though it was happy itself to be free of its covering at long last.

Inuyasha stretched his arm out, wondering darkly about who he would use it on today…

A few more villagers pointed at him and screamed, running off like all the rest.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at their display of fear, muttered, "Keh! Stinking villagers…" under his breath, and pushed on the ground hard, bounding after the scent.

The scent…it was coming closer…just a bit more…across a bridge…by the water…

Inuaysha abruptly stopped, as Kagome's warm scent brushed against his nose, getting stronger with every passing second. This only mean one thing- Kagome had woken up, and had followed him into the village.

Sighing, Inuyasha turned back. What was Kagome doing, coming back here? Why didn't she just stay with Kirara? His heart wrenched again. She had been so frail-looking when he left…

What if she was hurt again? After all, she was just a weak human…Maybe a bit stronger than average, but still…_human._

Brows furrowing, he picked up his pace, until, finally, he saw her figure in the distance…

**Inuyasha**

Kagome huffed, panting, her chest rising and falling rapidly from effort. Where was Inuyasha? The question became a desperate mental refrain.

After hearing another set of screams, she took off in that direction.

_Inuyasha, what are you doing?_

Finally, in the distance, she could see…see…yes! It was him! And he didn't seem harmed at all…it didn't even appear that he harmed anyone else; his features lacked the dishevelment that the hanyou usually portrayed after fighting.

He was in front of her now, eyeing her somewhat…peevishly?

"What, Inuyasha?" she questioned, puzzled and, admittedly, a bit annoyed. He had given almost given her a heart attack, and now all he could do was stand there and gawk at her like she had grown a second head and a third eye?

"Kagome," Inuyasha griped, "you should be resting, don't you think? Don't worry about whatever hurt you, I'll get it taken care of, got it?"

Kagome's eyes widened, remembering the mysterious elder from before…how exactly had he caused her to pass out?

Maybe the elder wasn't the source of her fainting, after all. Maybe…

Maybe…she was just _weak_.

_No!_ Her mind countered at once. She wasn't weak, she was _strong_. She was a _miko_, for crying out loud!

Breaking loose of her inner turmoil, Kagome glanced up Inuyasha's face. She certainly didn't like that look in his eyes…

"Inuyasha?" she called out, putting on her best begging voice. "Can't we just leave?"

"Of course not! I'm going to track whoever harmed you down in this dang village and show them a thing or tw-."

"-but, Inuyasha, we can't afford to waste _any_ time, don't you see? What if this is all a trap? We need to find that lady Myoga told us about!"

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, considering, then-

"I still think I should g-," he began, but then he was interrupted once more by Kagome.

Kagome tried pleading again. She had to get Inuyasha out of this village, she had to. It was a feeling that ran to the very core of her bones, and she didn't even know exactly _why_ she felt this way. She just knew, somehow, if they didn't leave soon, something very bad was going to happen. Inuyasha would be in serious danger if they stayed too much longer…

Sure, she could always 'sit' him, force him to leave, but she'd prefer not to have the hanyou cross with her. "_Please_, Inuyasha?" she implored, grabbing a hold of his arm, and staring into his eyes, wondering if she would be shoved away again. _Please, please, please…_

Inuyasha paused, reluctant and Kagome could see the hesitance gleaming in his eyes, his uncertainty showing though his tough-guy facade. Finally, he sighed in surrender. "Alright, Kagome, we'll do it your way…but only to save time," he said, crossing his arms.

Kagome blinked a bit, shocked. In all honesty, she hadn't really anticipated a simple "please" to prevail over Inuyasha's stubborn-like anger. Perhaps she had just discovered a new secret weapon to store in her arsenal to use in her war against hanyou frustration, she mused.

Even more astonishing, Inuyasha proceeded to grab Kagome hand, the one that had been resting on his arm, and steered her out of the village, firmly intertwining his clawed, rough fingers with her soft ones, causing her to blush a little. Inuyasha didn't seem to notice, or was just flat out ignoring the result.

Kagome didn't know whether to be offended or amused as Inuyasha helped her up onto Kirara's back, like she didn't have the strength to do it herself. She settled on amusement, chuckling.

As Kirara glided through the skies with expert skill, Kagome heard Inuyasha mumble, so low that she really couldn't be sure of what he was really saying, "Good riddance."

Which, of course, sent more thoughts to plague her mind, like if whether or not Inuyasha and his mother really did live in this village, and if so…the elder…

But, yet, Kagome still couldn't shake the horrible feeling that something bad was about to happen, that the worst was yet to come…

**_Author's Notes: Alright, well that's a wrap. I'll go through and edit out any of the errors tomorrow, but until then, I hope you all like it! Sorry for the delay! ^^' Reviews always encourage faster updates, k? xD_**


	17. Approaching Storm

_**Author's Notes: **__Sorry for the delay on getting the new chapter up, but it's pretty long. Constant distractions from actual writing, but I've been going though the plot forever...Not to mention the sudden plot bunny while I'm writing this out in my journal xD. I hope this new chapter is enjoyed, the next chapter really should be up sooner! ^^'_

The next few days seemed to fly by; it seemed that as soon as the sun came out to greet the world into another day, the next minute it was setting once, again. So far, Kagome's suspicions about the worst yet to come…hadn't come yet. Nothing particularly upsetting occurred, besides Inuyasha's hot-headedness, resting times, the usual issues. So far, they were continuing, safely, to their planned destination.

Growing restless, Inuyasha constantly fidgeted around on Kirara's back, his ears moving around excitedly at any sign of noise, only to fall down again disappointedly as a stray bird flew by, or the wind howled past them, especially gusty, or other such unlikely, dull scenarios occurred, leaving the hanyou with a sour expression etched onto his face.

Mentally, Kagome was becoming a bit anxious herself, encouraging Kirara to fly faster in her thoughts. They really didn't have that much time before Naraku would gain full power, they needed to reach that lady…Kagome's worries grew and grew, leaving her to drown in a sea of her own despair. The waves of anxiety pulled her under, sweeping her other thoughts away in currents of impatience…

Suddenly, Kagome caught sight of a massive form below them, out of the dreary, grassy void beneath, and another outline in front of it, moving ahead of it somewhat quickly, looking more like an ant compared to the other figure.

It looked like a small child, the smaller figure…a girl, Kagome was sure of it. Her curiousity peaking, but then a thrill of horror trilled through her at her next realization; that thing, the large figure that was traveling behind, wasn't another person- it was a vicious-looking youkai, and it was chasing the girl, who, Kagome could see clearly now, was obviously running out of breath, the beast closing in on her...

"Inuyasha, look!" Kagome screamed, but it was unnecessary; Inuyasha had already realized what was happening, and had leapt off of Kirara's back in an instant after spotting the youkai. Kagome urged KiRaRa down, and the cat complied, growling furiously at the youkai-beast.

The monster was coming closer and closer to the frail girl, its long, jagged, blood-soaked teeth barred at the child, who let out a blood-curdling scream as the youkai pounced, falling backwards.

Kagome gasped, she was sure Inuyasha wasn't going to make it in time, the girl was going to be eaten—!

With a furious growl, Inuyasha ripped his claws across his own skin, the blood oozing onto his claws, and he threw out his arm, yelling, "_Blades of Blood!"_

The red fleshes hit the youkai hard, causing it to leap back with a monstrous roar, looking around for the source of the attack, and it finally spotted Inuyasha, who had unsheathed his father's sword with a smirk while the demon had been distracted. Finally, he was going to get some real action!

**INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA **

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he caught a whiff of the stink of a youkai, probably large in size, but he couldn't feel anything particularly strong about it, just a puny youkai, something that would give humans trouble, but not him.

Looking around, he finally saw the demon, which was closing in on a small village girl, about to devour her. Feeling his blood boil at the sight, Inuyasha leapt from Kirara's back, hearing Kagome scream, who hadn't noticed that he was already on it.

The village girl couldn't have been more than a decade old, Inuyasha noted as he leapt in front of the girl, shielding her frail body from the ravenous youkai.

"Kid, find a place to hide while I finish this, got it?" Inuyasha muttered, not taking his eyes from the youkai, deciding the quickest way to get rid of it. Once he heard the child scamper away, Inuyasha growled at the demon before him.

The demon eyed him with a look of great disgust and malevolent amusement, all rolled into one hideous expression, its teeth flashing, rotting yellow and flecked with specks of red, leftover liquid from other victims. "So," it stated in a crackly voice, "you, a mere hanyou, judging by the reek of you, worse than human, _you _think that you can take away my dinner, mine, _a full-blooded demon_? I think not. In fact," it smirked, showing off those wicked jowls once again, "I will destroy you right now!"

It ended the statement with a sinister set of cackles.

"Oh, you think so?" Inuyasha taunted the beat, giving off a smirk of his own, flashing his own canines at it, "Well, then…let's see you destroy this…_WIND SCAR!_"

And with that, the puny youkai, who stood no match against a power like that, let out a low hiss, "A hanyou…a hanyou….noooo…!"

Inuyasha crossed his arms, scowling and looking down at the youkai ashes, all that was left of it. Keh, that hadn't even caused him to break a sweat!

While he swept the ashes of his late foe to the side with his foot, KiRaRa landed with Kagome in tow beside him.

"Inuyasha?" She called out, climbing off and inspecting him, head to foot, "Are you hurt?"

The pale-haired boy rolled his golden eyes unbelievingly. "You really think such a weak youkai could harm me, Kagome? I barely had to put up a fight!"

Kagome frowned and turned away. "Well, excuse me for caring about you!"

Inuyasha eyes softened a bit, and he turned to her, wanting to…to do something, but then his more arrogant nature got the best of him, and he shifted away again, his nose proudly in the air, arms firmly crossed.

Kagome let out a sigh of exasperation at Inuyasha, but then a flash of remembrance flashed across her face, causing her to blink rapidly. "Uh…Inuyasha…?"

"…What?" _What does she want now?_

"Where's that girl at?" _The child was just here a second ago…_

"…" _Heh…where __**did **__girl go at? Uh…_

"Inuyasha…where's the girl…?" _Inuyasha, please don't tell me you've lost her…_

"…I told her to go hide, Kagome." _I didn't lose her. Really. Kagome better not be thinking that I did…_

Kagome started and looked around frantically, worried about the child, but then a whimper began to echo out from behind a large rock over to Kagome left, causing Inuyasha's ear to perk up, and a casual sniff of the air confirmed the young one's location.

"Hey, kid," Inuyasha called out toward the direction of the sniffles, "you can come out now, it's safe!"

Cautiously, the small girl poked her head from behind the rock, shaking when she saw Inuyasha. Kagome gave a gasp; a long streak of blood was pouring out of a gash on her cheek, melding with tears that dripped in long, grimy tracks down her face, and all of melding into her mud-soaked kimono. On top of that, the girl had a worm-out, exhausted, ragged look, like she had been traveling for a long period without the chance to freshen up.

Eyes widening, Kagome ran over to the girl, who was now sobbing in earnest, and wiped at the girl's face with her sleeves, ignoring the way the blood smudged onto her own clothes. "It'll be alright, you're not in danger anymore, and I'll clean you right up, okay?" Kagome promised, stroking her face.

The girl choked back another sob, shaking her head. "I'm- I'm fine, miss, but, please…you have to h-help my grandmother!"

Inuyasha came over, kneeling down by the girl, his eyes softening a bit around the edges, while Kagome hurridly grabbed some bandages from the medicine pouch Kaede had provided them with.

**INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA ****INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA INUYASHA**

Feeling the kind-lady's touch on her cheek again, the girl looked at the demon-boy…he was a demon, too, wasn't he? She could feel the sobs threatening to jerk her body again, contorting it painfully.

Uneasily, as far as she could tell, the demon-boy reached out and placed a clawed hand on her shoulder; she froze, not knowing what to do. "Hey, kid," demon-boy called, "what's wrong with your grandmother?"

As the kind-lady's hand stroked her cheek once more, the girl nodded, and burst into a shaky speech.

"You see, my grandmother, she started acting all f-funny lately, it started when a while ago, this g-ghost-man—"

"Wait a minute," the demon-boy stopped her, "a ghost man?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. The ghost-man h-had long hair, and a spider mark—"

She shivered as the demon-boy cursed loudly, and she saw the kind-lady glare at him, nudging her, saying encouragingly "Just keep telling us, okay, if you can?"

Looking down, feeling her eyes burn, she started again, "The ghost-man came and then was gone, and grandmother got sick, really, really s-sick, and now she c-can't get up, so I came to get h-help, but then t-that demon st-started chasing me-eee!" she finished with a wail.

She felt the nice-lady hug her and pat her back, telling her it would be okay, that they would help.

Hope began to swell in the girl's chest, causing her heart to race with excitement. Maybe these two, the pretty nice-lady and the strong demon-man, just maybe they really could help grandmother.

**INUYASHA**

Inuyasha groaned, watching Kagome comfort the child, rocking her back and forth on her lap tenderly. One look, and the hanyou knew that Kagome's heart was captured; she'd insist that they'd go help that girl's grandmother, now.

Predictably, Kagome shot a meaningful look at Inuyasha, which he shot right back. They couldn't help, they had already wasted enough time, and, besides, it wasn't like they really skilled medically or anything. Well, Kaede had taught Kagome a few things, but still…!

Kagome ignored Inuyasha's feeble protect, glaring daggers at him.

He sighed, watching the girl again. Even he had to admit he felt sorry for her…

"Alright, alright then," he finally mumbled, giving in. "Grab the kid, Kagome and she can point the way from the sky," he called out, jerking his thumb back to Kirara.

Kagome smiled a bit sadly at him, but grabbed his hand and squeezed as she climbed onto the cat-demon, after seating the girl on Kirara's back ("Wow! Kind-lady, you have a flying cat?"), looking away. "I've got a got a…feeling about this, Inuyasha. Like we're headed in the right direction with this…don't you feel it?"

Frankly, Inuyasha had no clue what Kagome meant, but he went along with it, staring at her hand, unsure, and blushed, causing him to look away, as well.

"I guess I get what you mean…Kagome," he mumbled to himself, once again finding himself assisting the miko onto the cat's backside. While he did so, Kagome slipped off, causing her to squeal as she tumbled down to the ground—

—but then, right before she collided with the earth, Inuyasha caught her, pulling her against him firmly in his arms, his face inches away from her's…

So close…

"Uh, Kagome, are you…okay?" he asked, blinking, concerned about the dazed expression on Kagome's face.

"I'm…I'm fine…" _I'm great, really…_she thought, breathless, leaning in a little closer…

Inuyasha eyes widened before snapping shut, finally realizing what was happening, moving closer in response…

Right when their lips were about to touch, however, a small sob chocked out from the little girl, perched on top of Kirara, her face buried inside of her hands, unnoticing of Kagome and Inuyasha's current position.

The noise shocked the two back into reality, both blushing heavily, before stammering and hastily getting onto Kirara, Kagome taking the girl into her consoling arms.

Looking back on the two (the child had fallen asleep, not having the strength to stay away, and, surprisingly, not the least bit frightened from the heights to which they had ascended), Inuyasha grinned a little and whispered, "Keh. Clumsy human…"

Apparently, Kagome had heard him. "Excuse me?" she called back loudly, almost waking the child, but not quite.

"Feh, Kagome, don't be so offensive…all humans are clumsy."

"…_SIT BOY_!"

Even though the resulting _thump! _sent vibrations racking through Kilala's airborne frame (Kagome hastily murmured an explanation to her cat friend, smiling apologetically) the child did not wake…

When Inuyasha finally picked himself up, some time later, both the girl and Kagome had fallen fast asleep, and, in the distance, he could see the sky was turning evermore gray, and a certain ominous rumbling could be heard…

_**Author's Notes: XD Maybe I should'ave named this chapter Collision With A Kiss (Almost)...well, any questions, comments, concerns, please leave a review, all of which will be much-appreciated! ^_^ Well, writing this chapter was fun, especially the fight scene and thanks for the reviews from the last chapter!**_


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